Waterfront @ Melbourne

When my colleagues asked me what should they organise for dinner, I answered without any hesitation – seafood.

They picked for dinner at Waterfront Southbank. They used to be in the Crown Casino, but moved to the currently location closer to the Southbank business district and a stone throw from the Flinders Station.

I came here multiple times, and had always enjoyed the seafood on offer, especially their deluxe seafood platter on ice. So deluxe seafood platter it was then!

Amuse bouche

classic clam chowder, sweet corn

After we had settled down and ordered our dinner, we were presented with small shots of clam chowder to kickstart the evening. They were warm and full of sweetness from the corn and shellfish umami from the clams.

Next came the sourdough bread, but I skipped it totally as I was preparing my appetite for the platter.

Waterfront Market Sashimi 

tuna, salmon, kingfish & prawns

The sashimi definitely did not look like they came from Japan. The knife work did not seem to be from a well-trained sashimi chef. And the fish was not of premium quality. That is the typical quality of sashimi in Western restaurants.

The only way to make it more palatable was to drown it with soy sauce and wasabi.

Waterfront’s Classic Deluxe Platter 

Australian King prawns, Moreton Bay bugs, grilled whole fish, mussels, spiced calamari, pacific oysters, chef’s selection of sauces

This platter was why I came to Waterfront for, a platter that was part of my seafood wet dream. After all these years, it was still the same deluxe offering of all my favourite seafood – BBQ grilled king prawns and slipper lobsters, freshly shucked pacific oysters, garlic butter mussels, deep fried calamari rings and grilled whole red snapper.

Slipper lobsters, or what is locally called Moreton Bay bugs, can be quite expensive in Singapore, but they are relatively cheap and good here. Also, they are as fresh as you can get because most of our source came from Indonesia. But these bugs die quickly after they leave the water, so it is something I always eat in Australia.

Pacific oysters are not native species and was introduced to Tasmania from Japan use the stock from Japanese miyagi oysters. They grow faster than the native Sydney rock oysters, but they are equally good eats and therefore gained a lot more popular in recent times. Thank goodness we still have them, as the stock for rock oysters were decimated by the flooding in NSW.

Mussels in Australia are wonderful eats, only to be compared with the New Zealand cousins. Another must order when I come to Australia, these mussels were succulent and big, unless the ones we get from our shores.

It is really difficult to share a whole grilled fish. But the salt crusted grilled red snapper was deliciously done.

Waterfront Seafood Linguine

prawns, mussels, calamari, clams, local fish, olive oil, garlic, chilli, parsley, zucchini

After sharing the platter, we each had a main course. While my colleagues and guests ordered steaks, I decided to continue my quest for Australian seafood with this signature seafood linguine. I was surprised they used chilli in the sauce, though it wasn’t very spicy.

Afterthoughts

Waterfront is situated in Southbank, offering an expansive views of the Yarra River and mesmerising city lights of the Melbourne CBD.

Take in the stunning Melbourne sky line from the banks of the Yarra river, and enjoy the finest seafood expertly sourced direct from some of Australia best producers, we were not disappointed by our dinner tonight at Waterfront.

The inside of the restaurant used to be an interesting place to sit, as you watch the chefs prepare platter after platter from the piles of oysters and chilled crustaceans on the counter, and the hot kitchen firing away with plates of main courses. Covid has definitely taken a hit on the tourist numbers and also altered the way food is prepared these days. However, the excellent service and good food have remained at the Waterfront.

Waterfront Southbank
Shop 20, Southgate Precinct, 3 Southgate Avenue, Southbank 3006
Tel : +61 3 9686 9766

Visited on Mar 2022